Help “Defeat The Heat” at Blank Canvas Theatre.

Defeat the Heat Campaign

We’re trying to raise up to $2500 to help cool Blank Canvas Theatre.

If you have been to a show at our theater in the summer, you may know that at times, based on the weather, it can sometimes get hot in the theater. Our audience experience has and will always be a priority. What you may not know is that we have done what we can to combat this issue in the summer.

Our first season, having not been aware of the issues with the older building, we had to cancel our summer show. Since then, we have installed and continued to upgrade the rotating fans that help cool each audience section. What you may not know, is that we also have air conditioners that have been installed into our outside walls. The trouble is that these air conditioners were either donated or purchased “used” based on our available budget. They are older and not powerful enough to truly cool our theater space. Not to mention the added heat from lighting and heat given off by the human body. So the air conditioners were able to somewhat cool the space but not efficiently or effectively to also handle a sold out crowd and 2 hours of lighting.

Are you aware that the average human can generate 330 BTUs per hour of heat?

Even on a night where the house is only half sold, that is close to an additional 15,000 BTUs per hour. Now include the heat given off by the lights and it’s a battle we are losing. We have begun to use more LED’s to stay green and create less heat. Often our summer show lighting design is affected by trying to use the least amount of conventional lighting fixtures in order to stay as cool as possible. Especially because the lighting elements are only 6 feet above the audience.

Here are some estimates on what is needed in order to properly cool our space.

This could cost thousands of dollars to install an industrial air conditioning system. With prices dropping and technology getting better we have acquired a deal on some better wall units that would almost meet our goals. Each air conditioner can put out around 25,000 BTUs per hour. Not only would they run more efficiently and quieter, but we know that they would cool the space better than ever before. Each unit is around $600. They also would require new electrical to be run and installed in order to properly and safely supply power to these units.

If you have enjoyed a show at Blank Canvas Theatre or have been a part of a show, I hope that you can help contribute to this campaign. Maybe you can afford to buy one air conditioner yourself, or maybe you can only dedicate ten or twenty dollars. Any amount will help. We want you to be able to enjoy a show in comfort. We have continued to put your contributions toward improving your experience. From a brand new lobby to comfy theater seating. We hope that you can help us make everyone’s visit to Blank Canvas Theatre an even better one. But more importantly a cooler one! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.